


Between soulmates, pie, coffee and parties

by yaboiCelsius



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abusive John Winchester, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Bad Parent John Winchester, Chuck Shurley is Castiel's Parent, Coffeeshop AU, Dinner, Drunkenness, Fanart, Fluff, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, I Am Sorry, I felt like it would fit with the story but I didn't like writing it, I know its overdone, John Winchester Being an Asshole, Light Angst, M/M, Mention of sex, My First Work in This Fandom, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, Slurs, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Swearing, Tired Sam Winchester, Work In Progress, also there will be no smut, but fuck that guy, im ace, no beta we die like men, too cute for real
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 10:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 20,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24469831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yaboiCelsius/pseuds/yaboiCelsius
Summary: I know its so very overdone but I am bored so here it is: coffeeshop soulmate AU! Where your soulmate says something to 'activate' it for the first time, wherever they are touching your body directly, you are born with a mark, which will tingle when it happens. This phrase can be anything, as long as It is meaningful to both people. Plus, soulmates aren't necessarily romantic.Cas works mondays, thursdays, fridays and saturdays at the little coffee shop close to campus.“Hello. Can i have a...uhm coffee with one sugar and a piece of cherry pie?”He smiles, and Cas could have just fallen to the ground right then and there.---When he walked into the small shop he notices one thing, and pretty much only that one thing. Or person, rather. The very handsome guy behind the counter smiles as polite “i’m talking to a customer” smile. But it suits him wonderfully. He smiles like nothing is wrong, and his smile might be able to achieve world peace, Dean thinks. He doesn’t have a name tag, which is odd. But it also makes sense. Why would Dean need to know his name to order coffee? But secretly, he kinda wishes that he had a name to go with the face.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Comments: 14
Kudos: 72





	1. First meetings

Cas works mondays, thursdays, fridays and saturdays at the little coffee shop close to campus. Well, technically he also works on campus, but that is more of a; “i clean here sometimes and get to listen to lectures and follow some courses as payment” kinda job. 

The point is, he knows all the regulars. Or at least the type of people that come in the shop. You have the exhausted student, the tired professor, the student who just woke up, the stern professors, etc.  
Which is why it throws him off when he saw a new guy walk into the shop. He looks a bit old to be a student, more or less Cas’s age. Cas muses. He isn’t as stressed as most of the others. In fact, he seems quite calm. Like he has no places to be, or worries in the world for that matter. 

“Hello. Can i have a...uhm coffee with one sugar and a piece of cherry pie?”

He smiles, and Cas could have just fallen to the ground right then and there. Okay so maybe he has been watching a bit closer than usual, but can you blame him? the guy is fucking gorgeous! But Cas quickly recovered. 

“Certainly, would you like to take that to go?”  
“No, i’ve got time i think i’ll stay here for a bit.”  
“Okay, and can i have your name sir?”  
“Please, sir is for my dad, call me Dean.”  
“Okay s-Dean.” 

The order is simple to make, but somehow it takes Cas longer than usual. Maybe it’s because of Dean occasionally glancing at him, he’ll never tell. 

“Dean. one order for cherry pie and coffee.”  
“Thanks man!”  
he slides the order over the counter to Dean.  
Dean goes back to his seat and pulls out a phone. Cas tries no to stare as he contemplates whether or not Dean is straight. He dresses straight, he thinks, but you can’t tell if someone likes men or women or somebody in between by the way they dress. And the black splotches on his fingertips spreading out towards his palm, tell cas that he hasn’t found his soulmate yet. And with that kind of mark it could be anyone. A stranger passing by on the street, someone in the subway, a classmate, or anyone you shake a hand with, he thinks. But the mark doesn’t reach to the back of his hand. just the fingers. Oh well, it’s not his business anyways. 

Cas goes back to cleaning the counter. After about fifteen minutes Dean leaves. The rest of the day is uneventful, really. But he can’t stop thinking about the pretty man who walked in that day. And when he falls asleep his last thought it that he hopes that maybe, just maybe, Dean will be there tomorrow. 

-Dean-  
When he walked into the small shop he notices one thing, and pretty much only that one thing. Or person, rather. The very handsome guy behind the counter smiles as polite “i’m talking to a customer” smile. But it suits him wonderfully. He smiles like nothing is wrong, and his smile might be able to achieve world peace, Dean thinks. He doesn’t have a name tag, which is odd. But it also makes sense. Why would Dean need to know his name to order coffee? But secretly, he kinda wishes that he had a name to go with the face. 

He places his order and decides to stick around. He has enough time until Sam is done with class, and a *very* interesting view. Of course, he tries not to be obvious. Cas seems straight. He dresses very basic. But of course, that doesn’t mean anything. Dean knows this above anybody else. From the way he dresses, no one can tell that he’s bi. The indian guy from two nights ago certainly couldn’t. At least that worked out in the end, and they both had a good night. Dean grins slightly at the memory.  
Most of the time he goes out and has sex to calm down. Sometimes a guy just needs to go out and get it, and with another person is always better than alone. That’s most of his hookups nowadays. An agreement between people without a found soulmate to seek some comfort in each other. 

He feels a pair of eyes staring at him, and snaps back to the here and now. The handsome guy is looking, but quickly looks away and goes back to making his coffee. Dean pretends he didn’t notice, in favour of trying to figure out if he’s straight or not. 

He hears his name called and goes to pick up his order. He would like to thank the man, but only catches himself after he said thanks. He doesn’t know his name, so he ends up finishing with a lame “man”. He tries not to think about it much as he enjoys his coffee and scrolls through the news. After a while, when his cup is empty and the pie is finished, he gets a text from Sam, saying that class is done, and that he can come pick him up. he leaves, but as he makes his way to his brother, he can't help but think that he really would like a name to go with that pretty face behind the counter. Maybe he should come pick Sammy up from lectures more often...


	2. Why today, of all days?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas meets the handsome stranger again, and this time, he stays for coffee and a chat!

-Cas-  
It has been a solid week when Cas saw Dean again. He rushed in through the door. His boss looking at him questioningly. He’s never been late, or this disorderly, but his alarm clock ran out of batteries. And he got a flat tire. So it’s safe to say that he’s late. As he puts on his apron, he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His hair is a mess, sticking up in all possible directions, he has bags under his eyes and a look of death on his face.  
He attempts to smooth out his hair, and then goes to the front, behind the counter. His boss Anita doesn’t seem too mad, and she disappears to the back to make her usual fresh pastries.  
Cas wipes down the counter, and then turns the sign in the front to indicate that they’ve opened. Anita has started up most of the shop. Cas only needs to write on the sign with chalk what they are offering today, put it outside, check inventory and prepare the baked goods that Anita made yesterday and then stall them out. He prepares the goods first, unpacking them carefully and putting them on display. After, his fingers are slightly cold. He’s in the back writing their prices and other info on the chalkboard, when the bell dings, indicating someone has entered the shop. 

“One moment please! I have to put this sign outside. Do you have the time?” Cas calls from the back.  
“Of course, need some help?”  
The person sounds familiar to Cas, and then it hits him. It’s the guy; Dean from a week ago.  
His heart unwillingly jumps. So what if he’s been thinking about him on the regular, or daydreaming about meeting him again? That’s no one’s business but his own. But not like this. He looks positively drained of energy, and everything about his appearance, from his clothes to his hair is messy. He looks down. He is wearing pants he’d meant to wash after someone bumped into him and spilled their coffee on them, his socks are mismatched, on the left blue with deadpool and spiderman on them, and on the left black ones with Gandalf holding a stop sign. The only thing that looks okay is his shirt, dark blue -nearly black- and even that is crumpled. Yeah, he shouldn’t work looking like this, let alone meet Dean again. 

“NO uhm…..i mean, no, thank you! I’ll just be a minute!” He shouts back, panic badly concealed in his voice. He quickly finishes his writing, and then decides he should at least try to tame his hair. He makes a left, and goes to the sink by the employee’s toilet. With soaked hands, he combs through his hair with his fingers, to try and make it look less like he got hit in the face by a confused goose. After about half a minute, he decides it’s acceptable, smoothes out his shirt and tries to cover the stain on his thigh with his red apron as much as possible. When he drags the sign he finished outside, he finds Dean sitting calmly by a table, reading one of the free newspapers that are placed in the basket in front of the store on a stand. Dean looks up at the noise, and shoots out of his chair to help cas with the sign. He holds the door open for him with a smile that could light up the campus, and Cas smiles and nods in thanks. He ignores the little flutter in his stomach, reacting to knowing that smile is meant for him. 

“Thanks for the help, Dean.”  
“You remember my name?”  
“Yes, i suppose i did.”  
“Well then, it only seems fair i get to know yours.” Dean says with a wink.  
“Uhm..i-well,no i mean yes uhm…. Cas. My name is Cas.”  
“Haha, well it’s nice to meet ya Cas!” Dean extends his hand and Cas takes it lamely.  
Dean holds the door again, and they step inside, Cas taking his spot behind the counter.  
“Sorry, usually i’m much better at this whole uhm, talking thing.”  
“Hey don’t worry dude, i understand. Rough morning?”  
At that, Cas lets out a short, breathy laugh.  
“Yes, very much. So, what would you like?”  
“Oh! i’ll have a mocha latte with a piece of apple pie, if you have it?”  
“Sure thing! Though the apple pie might take a while, they are being made in the back, so it’ll be fresh out of the oven, but you’ll have to wait.” Cas explains.  
Dean smiles; “Oh no problem! I don’t have to come into work for at least an hour. You guys open early, you know?”  
“Yes, we try to be open before campus gets busy, so students can come pick up their morning coffee.”  
“Ah, that makes sense. I work as an engineer, so i don’t start that early, you see.” Dean says with a small smile as he swipes his card.  
At that, Cas doesn’t know what to say. He nods, and excuses himself to make Dean’s coffee. He finishes quickly, and hands it to Dean with a smile and a “You’re welcome.” when he thanks Cas with a smile. Cas then goes to the back to fetch Dean’s pie, only to find Anita looking at him with a knowing look on her face, and a her arms crossed. 

“What?”  
“You think he’s cute.” It’s not a question, it’s a statement. And Cas knows she’s right.  
“Yeah.” he sighs, then adds: “no shit” for good measure.  
Anita is full-on smiling at this point. “I put the apple pie in last when i heard he wanted it, he is going to have to wait half an hour.”

Of course she did. Why, pray tell, did he work here again?  
He goes back to the front. Dean is sitting with his back to him, texting someone, maybe a partner, Cas’s mind supplies (non) helpfully.  
“Hey Dean. Sorry, but it’s going to take another half an hour to finish the pie.”  
“Oh that’s fine! if you’re not too busy maybe we can chat a bit?”  
Cas is surprised. Dean puts down his phone and looks at him expectantly. And in the face of those green eyes, Cas finds himself agreeing as there aren’t any other people he has to serve. When he sits down, he spots Anita in the doorway, with a big smile and a double thumbs up. Before he can react, she disappears again to get back to work. 

“So, what brings you here?” He asks Dean.  
“Oh! My little brother studies here. I drove him here this morning, since i have to pick up supplies for my job and it’s not far from here. And i don’t mind since i figured i could grab a coffee and a quick bite between the two, i just didn’t expect it to be the early.” He grins and sort of half laughs. Cas can tell he doesn’t mind that much. And the conversation flows, with Cas doing some simple work and making himself a caramel coffee with whipped cream, and Dean taking occasional sips. Sometimes a student or teacher walkes in, orders, and either rushes away or quietly sits down and wakes up. The shop truly opens at the crack of dawn. It’s far too early for Cas’ liking when Dean has finished his pie, and has to leave. The rest of the shop has barely filled up, and after their pleasant conversation Dean tips cas five dollars with a wink and a smile. He gets up to leave,and closes the door, mouthing an obvious: “look at it” through the shop’s window before turning the corner and leaving. 

-Dean-  
He had wanted to write his number on the bill, honestly! But for some reason he didn’t want this amazing man to think he was cheap, or a slut or something. He may have a high body count, but he’s not like that! He honestly hopes Cas looks at the bill before pocketing it, or even worse, spending it. As ge gets in his car, he gets out his phone again and texts Sam.

D: I’m leaving, so now you’re on your own. And let me know if you need a ride home  
Sammy is typing...  
S: What is it with you and driving me to campus anyway?  
S: Since when are you this decent of a person?  
Big brother Dean is typing...  
D: Anything for you Sammy  
Sammy is typing  
S: And that’s why you hung around the coffee shop an hour after you dropped me off?  
Big brother Dean is typing...  
D: Bitch.  
Sammy is typing...  
S: Jerk. 

Dean shuts off his phone, and starts up baby. Well, maybe Sam will stop talking about it. Or maybe he will tell Charlie. Or Joe. Who knows? But if he does, there’s always that story of the Halloween party to blackmail Sam into shutting the fuck up. Dean grins as the light turns green. Yeah, maybe he should drop Sammy off more often as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is a bit longer than I thought it would be, and a lot more focused on Cas's POV. But I swear next chapter will be Dean mostly, and Sam will pop up. Though it might take a while before I can post again, with the school year rounding up during Corona, I'm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a01QQZyl-_I As usual, comments are amazing and kudos are awesome so don't hold back!


	3. The one where Sam finally shows up, and immediately gets drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Dean go out, but Dean can't seem to actually get his attention on one person. If you ask sam, he simply can't be bothered.

The lights are flashing and the music is blaring with a bass so deep it resonates in Dean’s heart. He knocks back another drink and looks out over the crowd, using his height to advantage to try and look for his brother. How hard can he be to miss? Sammy’s a fucking Ent! After a short moment he spots him, with a girl nothing short of in his lap, obviously flirting with him. Sammy being Sam, he is oblivious, talking to the girl while looking at the air in front of him with frantic hand gestures.  
The nerd is undoubtedly talking about the several “theories of everything” he has studied, his favourite contains the idea that time is not inherit to our dimension. Dean sighs and pushes himself away from the wall to go talk to his brother. Maybe is he gets a push in the right direction he could actually get laid. He walks over and sits down on the opposite side of Sam, extending a hand over to greet the pretty girl with chocolate, honey glazed eyes.  
“Hello, i am Dean, his brother.”  
“Senna, nice to meet you” She shakes his hand curtly and smiles, her teeth standing off beautifully against her dark skin.  
He grins, and slightly bumps Sam in the arm.  
“Heya Sammy, what are you telling your wonderful lady companion about?”  
At this, Sam raises an eyebrow and shoots a subtle death glare at his brother, and turns to Senna right after.  
“I am sorry he is here, i don’t want to ruin the moment.”  
Senna just smiles and says: “it’s okay, i was enjoying listening to you, i study political science myself.”  
“Oh really? how is it going?”  
Dean smiles, obviously the girl is trying to hook up a nice conversation. With a small pat on the back, he leaves again, scouring the crowd. Under other circumstances he might pick up a pretty girl, a hot guy or a cute enby, but he doesn’t feel up to it tonight. In all honesty, there is only one guy on his mind, and it’s Cas.  
After about half an hour, he gives up. He heads out of the bar, with the bouncer throwing him an almost pitiful look. He scoffs at the man, and swerves a tiny bit as he walks over to his car, before noticing that there are...certain noises coming from the car, and his brother’s exposed back is visible from Dean’s point of view. He sighs disappointedly. Good for Sammy, but now he has to walk home and pick Baby up tomorrow. How did Sam even get in? Dean is the one with the keys. It doesn’t matter, he reasons. He can figure that out tomorrow. He walks out of the parking lot, hoping to find a bus that's still going, or maybe a subway. What he doesn’t expect to see is a vaguely familiar face passing by. The short man turns to him and questionably looks at him.  
“Dean?”  
“Gabriel? Right?”  
He can remember Gabriel being a friend of sam’s, and they both hung around campus together. Gabriel is a year or two older, according to Dean’s memory...But in all honestly he couldn’t tell you how many planets surround the sun if you asked him right now.  
“What are you doing out?” Gabriel asks, looking around. (for Sam, no doubt)  
“Went to a bar, but Sammy hooked up with one of the girls in my car, so i guess i am walking home” He shrugs. He doesn’t mind all that much really. Gabriel looks a little bit tired and disappointed, almost like someone tripped him in the hallway and stole his lunch. Dean tries not to snicker at the idea of a campus being like middle school. Gabriel smirks and looks Dean up and down.  
“I just came back from a shift, my car is in the parking lot not far from here, would you like a ride home?” He points to the end of the road with his thumb, which split off into a parking lot and a road which leads to the campus frat houses. With the prospect of being home sooner, Dean finds himself agreeing. they walk to Gabe’s car with small talk flowing between them. Dean asking what kind of a job Gabriel has, and Gabriel interested in engineering, conversation flows fairly smooth. On the ride home, Gabriel turns on the radio, which informs them there’s rain on the way.  
After a short fifteen minutes Dean is dropped off at his house, he thanks Gabriel for getting him home and waves him off as he drives away. Dean feels exhausted, and he just gets inside and locks the door before collapsing on his bed in his shirt and underwear. 

~~Sam~~  
When he wakes up, he doesn’t remember anything. His head feels heavy and dull, and he is on the couch, with damp clothes, and with his shoes still on. He slowly sits up, and groans. Last night is a blur, but he remembers talking to a girl named Sara, no not Sara, Siennas, no something else… Senna! A pretty girl named Senna with a wonderful smile that made him feel things. Something must have come from it, because when Sam heels in his back pocket case, his condom is gone. He gets up and kicks his shoes off. His body feels dirty, yet saturated. he really needed this, but he’d rather sleep with a certain...someone. But he has no chance with him, so maybe it’s for the best. Sam walks into the kitchen and finds a full glass with a painkiller next to it. No note, maybe Dean put it there for him and texted him about it. He drags himself back to the couch to retrieve his phone, but nothing from Dean. Well, maybe he put it there himself. He goes back to the kitchen, and starts to boil water. he then breaks the paracetamol and takes a sip from the glass, which he impromptu spits out. It isn’t water! If this was Dean’s idea of a joke, it isn’t funny! Seriously, what kind of monster puts pure vodka in a glass for someone with a hangover? Dean friggin’ Winchester, that’s who! His brother is a goddamn asshole! he fills his own glass with water, and swallows it whole. Then he puts an egg in the boiling water, and wipes down his spit mixed with vodka from earlier while it boils. Then he stumbles to his room, across the hall and finds another glass with a note from Dean and another painkiller. 

“Heya Sammy! I saw you put a glass of vodka in the kitchen for yourself for when you wake up! How thoughtful! I hope you find this after you tried the vodka, so you learn that drunk you is an asshole. Anyway, i am off to get Baby back and then going to work, i’ll see you after i’ve done groceries. Try and rest sleeping beauty. -Dean-” 

Sam sighs, well at least Dean left him a painkiller and some water. He takes the painkiller and downs the water in one go. Then he changes into a warm sweater and sweatpants, before walking back to the kitchen. He takes out his egg, and puts a packet of ramen in the hot water. Yep, he is really fucked. Forget about getting anything done today, the thinks to himself. 

It is slightly earlier than usual when Dean comes back, dumps the groceries on him and tells him to “figure it out” before rushing to his room and frantically changing out of his smelly, dirty work clothes. When he emerges, Sam is packing away the groceries and notices that Dean is, for his doing, dressed up. Not very, but he noticeably more effort into his appearance. When he asks him where he’s going, dressed like that, Dean simply winks at him and tells him: “I have a date, Sammy” before slamming the door shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we finally are again! I hope this one leaves you guys inspired enough to drop a comment!


	4. The only thing i can say for sure, is that there is nothing i am sure of.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one focuses on Gabriel and Castiel, the other two brother you know and love. This is a little shorter, but I promise I'm getting to the good stuff soon!

-Gabriel-  
Sam was...having….sex. It took him a second to actually understand that information, and immediately felt guilty. It’s not his business what his friend gets up to. He shouldn’t feel jealous of anyone who gets to touch Sam and love him. It’s not his place. And why should Sam even deny anyone? Gabriel didn’t tell him about his feelings, so he has no right at all.   
Still. Something in his gut stings when he thinks about it while walking to his car. He tries to look interested in the conversation he is having with Sam’s brother, but somehow he can’t seem to be fully invested.   
He drops Dean off home, turns the music down, parks by the road, and for the first time in years, he allows himself to cry. His eyes sting quickly, a mark left by the times he spent crying over his late brother. But he keeps crying until his tears are gone. His soulmark feels warm, almost hot and his mind races through options of things he can do to not ever have to face Sam ever again. He feels so small. He always has been a small guy, but it feels like the world has hammered him into the ground. He was happy once, then his brother died. He felt alone, abandoned. His mother left, and his dad seemed to care less and less for his remaining kids. As the one of the oldest, Gabriel took it upon himself to take care of them. For years he put up a facade. But he always cried himself to sleep. But then Sam walked into his life, and showed him how to make something out of nothing. His mother was also out of the picture, she died when he was just a baby. They bonded over their shared experiences with growing up without a mom, and having a mostly absent father. And just when Gabriel had learned that he had hope, that he could have it all and do anything, when his smile wasn’t a facade anymore. Then the universe gives Sam a fucking girlfriend. His friend, his crush must be done with him by now. Understandable, Gabriel thinks. He knows he’s annoying, that he makes trouble where no one wants it and that his addiction to sugar earns him glares and sighs as he takes out an infinite supply of candy and sweets. Of course Sam wouldn’t want him. In a haze, he drives home. His routine is a haze, and he’s in bed with his pajamas on before he realizes it. However, instead of falling asleep he finds himself looking up at his popcorn ceiling for hours. 

-Cas-  
He heard Gabriel get home after his shift, a little later than usual. he walked to the front door to greet him and ask him where he’d been, but noticed the red in his eyes, and decides against it. Something must have happened on the way home, because he would have been home earlier if he just left after his shift was over. Cas realises he hasn’t seen his brother so distraught in years, but there is a vague memory of Luci’s cremation, where Cas found Gabe in the closet with the jackets when he was looking for the bathroom. Back then, Gabriel was only twelve years old, and he begged Castiel to not tell anyone else that he was crying. Cas agreed, and sat down on the carpeted floor with him, and hugged him until the sobs into his shoulder grew weaker. Chuck luckily wasn’t awake anymore, he might have asked Gabriel what is wrong, and Cas has come to understand that it’s better to let Gabe drown in his feelings for a while until he feels better. If he has to confront the situation while he is still processing it, he’ll get more upset and he could then be silent for days. Cas decided to wait with brushing his teeth until he heard Gabe was done, to give him some space. After brushing his teeth he finished his chapter, and finally turned off the light, only to fall into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short, but here come the soul marks, finally!


	5. i am not a photographer but....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean finally go on their date together! It might have involved more emotions than they both hoped, but the unexpected can turn out to be quite pleasant.

-Cas-  
The sun was beautiful out, shining down on the busy streets and warm on Cas’s face. He looks down on the bill Dean tipped him, scanning the street sign to find the park he is looking for. It was nearly 1 in the afternoon, and he still hadn't found the place Dean referred to.   
“Bot. Garden, Sat, 20.00.” He mumbled.   
Looking around for Dean, he spotted a lesbian couple walking towards the butterfly exhibit, one old man walking with a cane and...no one.   
His confidence faltered. Maybe Dean was playing with him, trying to make fun of him, he’d be hiding behind the bushes with his friends, making fun of the queer who was trying to get with Dean. His train of thoughts spiraled, and leading him to the conclusion: “Dean is a straight, homophobic guy who wants to make fun of him.” Defeated, he sat down on a bench he had reached. His head in his arms, he felt alone and hollow. Of course Dean wasn’t interested in him. How could he be? He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t notice someone sitting down next to him.   
“Hi Cas.”  
“Oh uhm hi Dean! I am very sorry, i thought you uhm..walked out.” He replied, nervously while fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.   
“You thought i’d walk out on our date? I thought you wouldn’t show up!”  
Surprised, Cas’ head shot up at that.   
“You thought i wouldn’t be here?” He tilts his head with a questioning look.   
Dean smiles awkwardly and glances away “You had no reason to come…”  
“But you asked me to. Isn’t that a reason?” Cas questioned.   
“Well, i’m sure you get phone numbers and invitations all the time, i’m just another guy.” Dean sighs.   
“Actually, no. You’re the first.” Cas smiled carefully at Dean.   
“Really? Well i better make it worth your time then!” Dean nothing short of sprung up from the bench, smiling like a four year old who got a lollipop.   
Cas found himself unable to say no to that smile, and nodded. Ignoring the way his cheeks had very much not flamed up a little bit, thank you very much.   
He followed Dean through the gate of the greenhouse, with his eyes as well as with his body.   
First they came by some beautiful flowers, Cosmos atrosanguineus, Red Camellia, strongylodon macrobotrys and datura, which the sign claimed was a night blooming flower, that opened at dusk. Then they came across a Venus fly trap, and Cas subtlety stood behind Dean. Yet, he noticed.   
“what’s wrong?” He asked, worriedly.   
“My mom used to have one of those when i was little. My brother wanted to know if it could dissolve something stronger, so he put a small piece of chicken in there, and the next day it was digested. Since then i’ve been a little scared of them. I’m sorry it’s so stupid.”   
“You- you’re afraid of it?” Dean asked, with concern on his face. Cas nodded, his eyes near tears at such a stupid thing to be upset about. Then, there was a strong arm across his shoulders, holding him tight. Castiel looked to his side and saw Dean smiling at him.   
“Hey, it’s okay. We can be brave together okay? Let’s feed it a bug, and see how long it takes. then you’ll see you have plenty time to escape.”  
“Dean, that would take hours. And where are we going to find a bug?” At that, Dean laughed softly.   
“Cas, this garden is crawling with them, literally. I can step outside right now and find one, bet?”   
“Bet on what?” Cas asked with a cheeky grin. dean seemed taken aback.   
“How about ice cream afterwards? If i lose, i pay, if you lose, you pay.”  
Cas thought for a second. “Seems reasonable. You have fifteen seconds.”  
“SHIT!” Dean sprinted out the door, disturbing a lady watering a plant, who clicked her tongue in disapproval.   
After twenty-five seconds, dean came back with his hands cupped over one another.  
“Did i make it?” No. Cas had timed it on his watch.  
“Yes, barely. It seems i owe you ice cream. What did you catch?” Dean smiled widely.   
“I got a millipede, i think.” Dean raised his hands to eye level, and it looked like he was trying to peer through his fingers. Cas make a semi-disgusted face at learning Dean was holding a millipede.   
“Can you grab it? We need to drop it in the plant.”  
“Okay fine, but i’m not letting my fingers come near that plant!” Cas replied.   
Dean opened his hands, and Cas quickly but carefully picked up the bug that desperately tried to escape. He held it between his thumb and finger carefully, as to not squish it to death.   
“Dean this is a woodlouse.”   
“Same thing right?” Dean shrugged. “We’re gonna feed to to the plant anyway.”  
Dean picked the woodlouse from between Cas’s fingers, and somehow got it in the venus trap without too much struggle. Cas slowly dropped to eye level with the plant as it closed. he didn’t want to come too close, but Dean made him feel safe with a hand resting on his back. He saw the shadow of the poor woodlouse in the plant.   
“How about we leave for now and come back later, when we’ve seen the rest of the park?” Dean proposed.   
“Okay, but let’s not stay here too long. After all, i owe you some ice cream.” 

-Dean-  
He had been so scared he wouldn’t show up. Keeping a facade until he arrived at the park. It had taken him a few long, torturous minutes walking around to spot Cas sitting on the bench. But it had been worth it, in his opinion. Cas seemed to really like plants, and read all the little signs below the plants in latin and pronounced them for him. It was impressive to Dean, who felt like he wasn’t worth his time more and more with each passing second. When the fly trap rolled around he was happy he could do something for Cas. And now Dean was lying in the warm sun on a moss field with his toes touching the soft growth. Dean looked over to see Cas sitting next to him, smiling to himself, with the sun framed his face like a halo. He seemed lost in thought, but he quickly noticed Dean looking at him.   
“What’s wrong?” He asked him.  
“Nothing, i’m just thinking about all the times i’ve been here.” Dean lied, afraid to admit his feelings.   
“Yes i was meaning to ask about that.” Cas replied. “Why this place?”  
Dean sighed. “Because of my mom. She loved it here and used to take me walking when she was pregnant with my brother. She was a firefighter, shortly after she gave birth she tried to save a small girl from a house fire. She suffered from severe burns when she died in the hospital over there.” Dean pointed to a yellow and white building half hidden behind trees.   
“I’m sorry Dean. That must have been terrible for you. How old were you if you don’t mind me asking?” Cas seemed to phrase it carefully, las if Dean was going to break if he spoke too loudly.   
“I was four.”   
“Dean i-. I don’t know what to say. I am sorry for bringing the memory back.” Cas turned his face away, making Dean look back at him when he felt the sun on his face again.   
“It’s okay, i'm over it. It took me a few years to accept it though.”   
“ I understand, my mother also died when i was young. She had pancreas cancer, supposedly hereditary. It took her quickly.”  
“Hereditary? Doesn’t that mean you will also have it?” Dean asked with noticeable worry in his voice.  
“Well no, not really. i just have a higher chance of getting it, so my family is told to check up with a doctor when the notice something odd right away.”  
“Ah okay. How old were you when she died?”   
“I was fifteen. A lot older than you were, but i consider it to be pretty young.”  
“I see.” A hard silence fell. It wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but the topic weighed heavily on both men.  
“Can is ask you something?” Dean broke the silence.   
“You just did.” chuckled Cas.  
“Another thing i mean.” He replied, slightly irritated.  
“Well what is it?” Cas asked.  
“Where is your soul mark? I haven’t spotted it yet.” Cas seemed a little surprised by the question, making Dean worry he overstepped.   
“Around my waist, with the hands at my back. Why do you ask?” Cas looked genuinely confused.   
“I think it’s an important thing to know when you’re on a first date. Establish some ground rules, y’know?” Dean shrugged, which was hard considering he was leaning on his arms.   
“Well where is yours then?”   
“On my shoulder and my bicep. I wonder why they would say it when we were hugging though.” Something about that was funny to Cas, who started softly laughing.   
“Dean, you aren’t hugging your soulmate when they say ‘i love you’ for the first time, you’ve just kissed!” Cas exclaimed almost excitedly.   
“Ah i see, so future me is a whore?” Dean joked back. Cas wheezed softly and hit his arm with his hand, but there was no real venom behind it.   
“So how about we go check on the plant, and then get ice cream?” Cas posited.   
Dean shrugged again. “Sounds good to me.”

When they returned to the plant, the lady was sitting behind a small desk, and seemed to smile when they walked in. The sun was getting lower slowly, and they could see the woodlouse in the plant, still fully formed.   
“Odd.” Cas commented. “I wonder how long it take to digest.”  
Dean pulled out his phone and opened the search app. After a few second he began to read out loud. “Oxidative protein modification..something something...ah! Here we go! Digestion takes about ten days, after which the prey is reduced to a husk of chitin. The trap then reopens, and is ready for reuse.”   
“We are not going to wait that long!” Cas decides right away.   
Deans can’t help but smile. “So how about that ice cream?” 

Cas got two scoops one with white chocolate and honey, and one with vanilla, while Dean got lemon and raspberries. They chatted some about passerbys while finishing their ice cream, and then parted ways. Unfortunately if you asked Dean. When he came home, dusk had almost finished settling, and there were no lights on in the house, except for a faint one from Sam’s bedroom. The groceries were packed away and Dean settled down with a beer. When he got his phone out of his pocket though, he pulled out a small paper note along with it. Curious, he put his drink down and folded it open. It contained two words, one name and a phone number. 

“Call me. -Castiel-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So where do you think I'll take the story? I'm not that obvious am I? (Just kidding, I'm an open book) Leave your opinions in the comments!


	6. The worst day ever.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam can't find Gabe and gets worried.

-Sam-  
Monday was never his favorite day, only Tuesdays were worse. His body felt so heavy and his mind was protesting to getting up this early to catch the bus, but Dean had been called away to an out of town job. Again. Last week had been a show on and off of having to drive in the opposite direction of his school. Sam suspected that Dean might hate it more than him, with his obvious frustration at not seeing his favorite coffee server, Cas. Dean was already gone when he walked into the hallway, and nearly tripped over his pants. He stretched out, accidentally almost scratching his hand open on the ceiling. He already felt much more awake walking into the kitchen and opening the cabinet for a slice of bread. Dean had bought white bread again, while Sam had asked for brown. “Oh well it’ll have to do.”, he thought while spreading out peanut butter. He supposed he could get a sandwich for lunch at campus, and rushed out the door to catch his bus.  
He was walking down the street when his bus rounded the corner at the other edge. Going into a half assed sprint, he waved to get the bus driver’s attention. Luckily, he stopped, but he gave him a nasty look on his way in. Well excuse Sam for wanting to show up to school! He sat down, and got his phone out to listen to some music, but only found out he forgot his earbuds at home after searching through his entire bag. Twice. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. It wasn’t turning out to be the best day so far.   
When he finally got the school after a very long bus ride, he checked out and went to his usual spot under the tree, waiting for Gabriel. He lazily went through his phone, sometimes checking the time, and keeping an eye out for Gabe. After a few minutes, Sam started to get a little fidgety, it wasn’t like him to be late. Sometimes Sam was, but only when the busses ran late or if he didn’t make the first one, and had to take a later bus. And even then, he let him know. 

Sam: “Hey where are you?”  
After five minutes, Gabriel still didn’t reply. A creeping feeling of worry settled in Sam’s chest. He got a frown on his face, and started looking around worriedly. Gabriel never stayed away before.   
Sam was reminded of how Gabriel behaved before he came to campus. He was told that Gabriel would sometimes skip classes, especially when things got rough at home because his brothers and sisters moved out one by one. Charlie told him that after his brother moved out, he was the only one left at home without all his siblings and his mother, and he went into a severe slump. He would rarely show up to classes, and also didn’t go home, instead wandering around town doing god knows what. But apparently, when Sam became quick friends with him, he turned around almost immediately according to Charlie. He managed to move out, and went to live with his brother instead. His grades went up, and he went to school more, everyday even, and bought an older secondhand car and fixed it up. Sam found a badly needed friend in Gabriel, after running away from his abusive dad with Dean he hadn’t ever felt that lonely. Gabriel was easily his best friend, and sometimes he hoped for more than friends, if he was being honest with himself in the late hours of the night. 

Then, Sam’s soulmark burnt into his skin, almost stabbing into his side. It hurt like crying so much your eyes sting. He didn’t know who to step to about Gabriel, every mutual friend they had left school last year. Gabriel had to do one year again because of him skipping that much. And Sam hadn’t made a lot of other friends in the nine months they’d been in town. He texted Charlie. 

Tall Hooman: Charlie, did you hear from Gabe last weekend?

Absolute Nerd: No, why? Is he okay?

Tall Hooman: I don’t know. He didn’t text me this weekend, which isn’t that bad, but he isn’t at school. 

Absolute Nerd: He might be sick? Have you tried calling him? Maybe something happened? 

Tall Hooman: I haven’t called him yet, i’ll go do that. Thanks C!

Absolute Nerd: No problem. Keep me updated!

Sam pulled up Gabriel’s contact and let the phone ring. Once, twice, three times.   
“Sam?” Gabriel sounded groggy, like he just woke up.   
“Gabe! Are you okay?” Sam tried not to sound too relieved but honestly? He was.   
“Yes, i am just sick today. I’m sorry but i’m staying in bed today. I should have let you know though.” Sam’s soulmark went ice cold. That never happened before.   
“Don’t worry about it, i hope you feel better tomorrow. Do you need anything from me?”   
“No thanks, i’ll manage.” Sam could hear his fake smile through the phone.   
The line went dead. 

Something was wrong with his Mark, of course it had to be it. Besides the cold it had been painful all week, feeling warm. The feeling was gone now, but it seemed...off in some way. Sam put his phone away and rushed to class. 

There was no way he could pay attention to his professor. He had to find out what was wrong. He scribbled some in a notebook. Made a small list of ways his soulmark felt over the years. 

On fire:   
Cold:  
Painful:  
Calming:  
Jittery:   
Itchy: 

Okay, that was a start he supposed. Now what? Not a lot was known about soulmarks, and even though a lot of people had them, there hadn’t been a lot of research on it. The only thing that was sure that it is hereditary, and that your soulmate was the perfect one for you. Maybe doctor Google had an answer. He looked up what a feeling in your soulmark meant. After a quick search, he found an article about soulmates, which filled him in on the major things about soulmates that no one talked about: Emotions. When your soulmate feels a very strong emotion that is related to you in some way, your Mark feels different, depending on what emotion the other feels. The relation from emotion to Mark depends and can be extremely different per couple. Sam did his best to fill in the rest of his list. 

On fire: Sad, probably?   
Cold: Maybe far away?   
Painful: Angry/Hurt.   
Calming: at ease?   
Jittery: Disappointed maybe?  
Itchy: probably alone?

He wasn’t sure about most of his answers, but it was as close as he could get for now. Sam sighed, he shouldn’t be worrying about his soulmate when his best friend was sick. What kind of a shitty friend is he? He closes his notebook again, and sits back for the rest of the lecture. He doesn’t even notice his eyes slipped shut. The students packing their stuff and walking past him wake him up though, and he stumbled out of class, into the next one. Honestly, the whole day was a blur until he got on the Subway to Gabe. He didn’t even realise he wanted to see him but he is on his way before he knows it. 

-Gabriel-   
When Sam had called him, he was so afraid he couldn’t hold it together. He wanted to get drunk, drink even more than he had during the weekend. His entire weekend consisted of work, drinking, sleep, and repeat. He turned around in bed, gripping his sheets tightly in his fist. If Sam and him were never together, why does it hurt so much? He just couldn’t shake the little voice in his head, saying he had no right to feel like this. He wasn’t worth Sam’s attention. He needed his soulmate, a wonderful girl for sure, and not some broken, washed up loser addicted to sugar. He was about to curl up even tighter in his sheets when his doorbell rang. He sighed, he didn’t want to get up, but Castiel was already gone, so no one else could open the door. He rubbed his eyes, and stepped onto the wooden floor. His body felt weak as he made his way to the front door. When he eventually opened it though, he felt like slamming it shut and hiding in his bed forever.   
It was Sam.   
This was the worst day ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo another chapter done! I apologize for my spelling and grammar mistakes and I hope you liked it anyway. And guess what my friend gave me for my birthday! A Venus flytrap! As always, feel free to please talk to me in the comments and drop a kudos if It was good.


	7. (not a story) I'm setting some things straight, clearing the record when it comes to how soulmates work.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think it's time I explain to you how my personal Idea of a soulmate AU works, and what you can expect from this story in general. I don't want to disappoint anyone, so I think it better to explain the base rules.

Rule 1: Soulmates are not exclusively romantic. Your soulmate is the person you have your most meaningful relationship with, and it can be any kind of relationship. If your most meaningful relationship is with your parent for some damn reason, then they are your soulmate. 

Rule 2: You can only have more than one soulmate if you throughout your life there is more than one person who you have the strongest meaningful relationship with. Some people don't have "one specific person", and some people have a romantic soulmate and a platonic soulmate. 

Rule 3: Sometimes soulmates do not match up. However, there will always be a sign that you are their soulmate and they are not yours and you will always have some kind of significant bond with that person. I'm sorry Brenda, but your husband's best friend Rob has had a more meaningful relationship with him than you even though your most meaningful relationship is with him, because the idea that romantic attraction is more important than all other forms of attraction is something society forces on us and it's not a fact. It doesn't mean that he doesn't love you or that he's secretly cheating on you with Rob.

Rule 4: Soulmates always meet. I know in another fic I wrote they don't, because space travel, but believe it or not I thought about that a lot, because I wanted it to fit the story, but also felt it was kinda stupid. In this universe, you always meet your soulmate. Whoever they are, whenever you both are. You can expect them sometime in the future or have seen them in your past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the semi-serious talk guys, new chapter underway I promise!


	8. House calls and pastries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> allright so I'm keeping you on the edge a little bit longer but I hope you're ready for the next chapter!

-Dean-  
Dean didn’t like making house calls from the garage, especially in this neighbourhood. It was nothing short of a maze, and some of the people there treated him like trash. But it also paid much better, and they could only just make ends meet. Sammy only took assignments to do online, programming or anything he could do in his spare time, but it’s not a lot of money. So most of the burden of rent and other bills fell on Dean. Not to be rude or marginalize Sam though, he was doing really well in school and got some amazing grades that would secure a great future for him. Dean couldn’t be more proud. But, as mentioned before it was more expensive to hire a mechanic to come to your house than to drive your car over there. Some people could just spare the money. He began to drive slowly, scanning the signs next to the door posts for the number. 87...89...91...93!   
Pulling in, and parking in front of the house, he took at all in. The door was a dark, full red, shining a bit with impeccable paint. Above the door was a little, half moon window, turned on it’s side. It showed what Dean thought was a Bible verse in tinted glass. On both sides of the door, two white, roman pillars stood tall, supporting a small arc over the door with the house number on it displayed in gold. On both sides from the door stretched three white framed windows, and the whole building was two stories tall, built with red bricks and with a slightly tilted roof that looked like an attic. Overall, a very fancy house. He tried to look for a doorbell, but there was nothing he could see. Grumbling about stupid fancy people and their useless fancy customs, he knocked with the knocker on the hard wood. The door swung open, and a small man in a bathrobe, curly hair, a beard and slippers on looked Dean up and down.   
“Who are you?” he questioned, his voice tinged with unpleasantness.   
“I am Dean...the mechanic?” He answered questioningly, wondering if maybe he got the wrong address.   
“Oh right of course, Micheal said he called one for me. Do you want to get started right away?” He didn’t wait for an answer.  
“The garage is on the right side, I'll get you the key to the door. How long do you think it’s going to take?” Dean got a round key thrust in his hands. The man closed the door behind himself, and walked with Dean to the garage.   
“Depending on the damage it’ll have to be between an hour or half a day, i am very sorry.”  
“I’m sure it’s nothing, it just makes a sound that my son wanted to have checked out.”   
Dean unlocked the garage with the key he’d been given, and found a red Porsche Macan. It almost matched the front door in colour and looked as if it’d never been used before. Dean carefully inspected the car, unlocking the doors, starting up the engine, checked the tires and looked at the oil level. It quickly became clear that the car had been used a lot, but simply maintained on the outside very well. It still looked as if it were new, but the brake pads were worn down, and there was a small leak in the cooling system, probably the origin of the sounds. After about five minutes he turned to the man that had opened the door. 

“It shouldn’t take too long, maybe an hour to fix the problem. So what’s producing the noise is actually your brakes and a small leak in the cooling system. If you want, i can change the oil as well, and change your spark plugs because they won’t last too long anymore.”  
“Sounds good...Dave it was right? Just holler if you need anything.” The guy in the bathrobe left the garage again, leaving Dean with the key and car. He went to get his equipment from the impala, and got to work. Maybe he could take another call today if he was lucky. 

-Cas-  
It had been a slow day, mondays were usually the busier days of the week, where the cafeé would buzz with excitement and the existential dread of the beginning of the week. He felt worried, he hadn’t seen Dean all week. Thinking maybe the other gave up on him and was working up the courage to tell it to his face. Just an hour ago, he saw that Sam arrived on campus by bus, as the bus station was on the opposite side of the street from the café.   
He felt lonely. Anita left about fifteen minutes ago, trying to settle a deal with their supplier. The supplier wanted to raise the prices, but that would mean bad news for Cas. he could make things work right now. But if his paycheck got cut he’d have some small issues. And of course his father would use that to convince him that he should have gone into being a doctor, a lawyer or trying to become a writer or his personal publicist.   
And while that certainly would make some more money than working at a coffee shop, he also wouldn’t like it very much. He liked working like this, interacting with the customers, talking and getting to know them. There were only three people in the shop right now, but it was going to spike again in half an hour, when classes emptied out and people wanted a small morning snack. Cas wiped down the counter for the tenth time, and pulled out his phone, waiting for a customer to need his help. 

Cas: Hello Dean

He didn’t expect him to respond, but lo and behold, his phone buzzed with a response. 

Dean: Hey Cas, what’s up?

Cas: Slow day today, that's all. 

Dean: Really? It’s been busy here. I just got back from fixing some guy’s car in that fancy part of town. 

Cas: I thought you didn’t like it there?

Dean: I don’t, the place is a fucking maze and everyone wear sunglasses inside. You know who does that? Douchebags!

Dean: But it pays well.

Cas: Understandable. I don’t like it there either, but don’t let my dad hear it. It feels very cold and unloved.

Dean: Never really noticed that tbh, but sure it could be?

Cas: i have to go, sorry. There’s a customer here. 

Dean: Okay! Talk to you later then!

Cas tucked away his phone to greet the new person. When he instantly recognised the voice, he looked up surprised.   
“Cas! I need your help!”   
“What is it Sam? Did someone die?”  
“No, one of my friends is sick and i want to give him something to eat, something light on the stomach but also sweet. Any ideas? Please tell me you have some he’s really important to me.”  
“Sure, take these, they are light and fluffy, but coated with cinnamon, so your friend will like it.”  
Sam took the little paper bag from Cas, nodding and thanking him profusely. He paid and all but ran out the door. He seemed very worried, should he be alarmed? 

Cas: A student i know, Sam wanted something for a sick friend. I’m back now.

Dean: Sam? As in Sam Winchester?

Cas: Could be, there’s not a lot of Sam’s at school. Why?

Dean: Dude that’s my brother. I didn’t hear about a friend being sick tho.

Cas: Maybe it’s someone you don’t know? Your brother has a life of his own you know?

Dean: Yes but we live together, if he was planning on staying out longer he might have left a note normally. 

Cas: D, this is very dramatic, just ask him when he gets home. 

Dean: ...maybe you’re right. 

Cas closed his phone again as the door opened again and someone came up to him to order. Making the girl’s tea with Jasmine he found himself thinking about Sam. Why would he be in such a hurry? Was it someone close to him? Maybe this guy was more than a friend and Cas shouldn’t have gotten involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you thought! Plus, I have no idea how normal people text so I am very sorry I gave it my best shot. Comments are always welcome. I hope y'all have a great day and stay safe!


	9. This has gotta be the best day of my life.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam goes to visit a "sick" Gabriel, who doesn't like finding the guy he's been crying over at his doorstep looking like and awkward kicked puppy.

-Sam-  
His heart pounded in his chest, his Mark flashed all sorts of heat, shivers and cold spots, but he stood his ground.   
“Hi Gabe, i uhm- i-” Sam stuttered. Okay so standing his ground wasn’t going too well.   
“Do you want to come in?” Gabriel stepped to the side, opening the door a little bit more so Sam could step in. He did so, and awkwardly turned around and waited on his friend.   
“So….”  
“Why did you come here?” Gabriel seemed almost mad, crossing his arms and leaning against the dark blue wall.   
“I uhm, i got you something to eat.” He held out the crumpled paper bag.   
“Of course, if you don’t want it i guess i came here fo-”  
“You took the bus all the way here just to give me some food?” He raised an eyebrow, and seemed to smirk.   
“Well uhm, yes?” Sam shrugged. “It really is no big deal.”  
Sam’s Mark went hot, not uncomfortable but loving, and softly glowing with warmth. It felt like wearing a nice fluffy sweater, like reading in bed with a cat at your side while it rains outside. Like falling asleep in someone’s arms in a freshly made bed. Like baking a super sweet caramel cake together and getting flour everywhere. It felt like love.   
His heart went wild again.   
“Do you want something to drink?” Gabriel had taken the bag out of his hand while Sam was lost in thought.   
“Yes please, do you have apple juice?”  
“Of course.” 

-Gabriel-   
Okay he really needed to calm down. Sam was here, in his house, with food for him. His eyes must still be puffy, but if Sam noticed he was nice enough not to mention it.   
He poured some juice with shaking hands, and got a cold glass of water for himself. He really wanted something stronger, but he’d better not.   
“Here you go” he said, walking into the living room where Sam was now silently perched on the dark grey couch. He sat up straight, with his feet neatly next to each other. He seemed nervous. Gabriel handed him his drink, and did his best to act relaxed.   
“So uhm, why weren’t you at campus today?” Sam asked, looking away.   
“I told you, i feel sick.”  
Sam scoffed. “Yeah right, and that’s why you've been crying?”  
Shit.   
“Just allergies, you know?”  
“Gabe, you don’t have allergies.”  
fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck  
“Why do you care anyway? Don’t you have your girlfriend to smooch with?” He said, agitated, before realising he gave himself away.  
“A girlfriend?”  
“Yeah, Dean told me you got a girl last weekend.”  
“Oh.” Sam blushed, and he looked like he would shrink in between atoms if he could.   
Gabriel felt a headache come on.   
“Listen, just...tell me about her okay? Then i’ll tell you why i have been crying and then we can never ever talk about it ever again okay?” Gabriel sighed, he felt defeated but his blood boiled with anger at this unnamed girl he hasn’t even seen.   
“Well, it was, ehhh” Sam inhaled sharply. “A one night stand kind of thing.”  
okay well, that changed a lot. Gabriel’s mind screeched to a halt. FUCK.   
“Oh. Okay.” He felt his Mark on his shoulder grow cold. A shiver ran down his spine.   
“So, what did you want to tell me?” he could lie, right? he could tell him that his dad got mad at him, that someone was homophobic against him, that Cas yelled at him.   
“My dad called.” he gritted his teeth silently, careful to make sure Sam couldn’t tell he was lying. “He was furious, and drunk. I am worried about him.” Gabriel deflated, there it was, he had lied, now they could put it all behind them, and he can go back to pining.   
“Gabriel, i am so sorry.” A painful, empty feeling settled in his gut. Damnit.   
“No i am.” Sam looked confused, scrunching his eyebrows.   
“My dad isn’t an alcoholic, i haven’t heard from him in almost a year and i lied because i am too scared to tell you the truth.” Gabriel looked away from his crush, and felt tears welling up. He kept his focus on the door, hoping that he could make it out the door and to his room at the end of the dark hallway without getting caught by Sam or tripping over something.   
“What did you really want to tell me?” Sam asked, softly, placing his hand on his shoulder.   
Gabriel turned to look at him, but he couldn’t get the words out of his mouth, instead looking for Sam’s eyes, hoping they could see what he couldn’t say. Maybe he should leave. Maybe Sam just hates him now. Maybe he’s homophobic. Gabriel’s mind raced from one conclusion to the other. He was startled when Sam broke the silence.  
“It’s okay if you don’t want me to know, i just want to help.” Gabriel sighed and dropped his body on the couch. He noticed he was sitting with his shoulder at Sam’s side, but Sam didn’t seem to mind. Gabriel closed his eyes, trying to cherish the moment, knowing he would be pushed away as soon as he spoke the words, knowing he would never be able to be around Sam again. He took a deep breath.   
“I love you.” 

-Sam-   
“I love you.”   
His soulmark started pulsing, and his heart pounded in his chest. He turned to Gabriel, his ears ringing. Gabriel seemed confused, gripping his shoulder and softly rubbing it. Sam grabbed him by his light blue pajamas and kissed him.   
It wasn’t hot, scorching, it just felt...right. He felt warm on his side, and he felt relaxed. It felt like coming home after a long trip, collapsing on the bed, knowing you don’t have to get up. It felt like racing to a finish line, running through the lint and not looking back. It felt like finishing a 10000 pieces puzzle after two years. He opened his eyes slightly, seeing just a glimpse of Gabriel. His friend, no, his Soulmate. His romantic soulmate whom he was in love with. He tried to ground himself in reality. He tasted toothpaste, and it mixed with his apple scented breath.   
He had no idea how long they kissed for. But eventually, they broke the kiss, both softly gasping for air, resting their foreheads together.   
“Hey.”  
“Hey.”  
“Stay?” Gabriel looked at him, and Sam felt his lashes against his own eyelids.   
“Yes.”  
“Good.” Gabriel tugged him closer, hugging him to his chest, and tangling their legs together.   
“Next time, don’t drink apple juice after I've brushed my teeth, it’s disgusting.”  
Sam just grinned and caught his boyfriend’s hand in his. He used his other hand to gently lay him down on the couch on top of him.   
“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this might be it for a while, as school is pushing me to spread out my work in preparation of test week. By all means, tell my what you think! I love y'all and stay safe!


	10. Why are we like this?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so Dean goes to this party, and is surprised to find a wasted Cas there. when he takes him home...stuff happens and Dean end up being mad at himself

-Dean-

Cas leaned down on Dean, standing only a little bit on one foot, and putting his entire arm around Dean.

“Whoa Cas calm down! Buy me dinner first!”

“D-Dean i did! Last month!” Cas shouted, not seeming to realise how loud he was speaking. But even then, his volume didn’t even begin to drown out the loud music blasting through the speakers. Dean was surprised to see his friend so worn down, he was slurring his words, and his hair and outfit were messed up. In all honesty, he wasn’t expecting to run into him at all at Charlie’s party.

Charlie was throwing a party to celebrate her leaving for a world trip in less than a month, and she had invited about half Sam’s campus, as well as her personal friend group, which included Dean, and apparently also Cas.

“You know, lemme, lemme tell ya something about mahself.”Cas slurred in Dean’s ear. Dean sighed fondly, and began walking towards the door, to get Cas somewhere with less music and alcohol.

“What is it Cas?”

“I ain’t good with feelins ya’know? But i want’cha to know that i care ‘bout you.” He murmered. Dean gave a fond smile at that.

“I know Cas, i care about you too.”

“Hee heeee!” Cas laughed, huffing out air that smelled strongly of bourbon. “Okay buddy, let’s get you home, allright?” Dean made his way to the front door. He had only had one beer, expecting to have to drive home Sam as well. Balancing his friend with one hand, he opened the door with the other, trying not to lose his balance and land on the carpet. “There we go, come on Cas, one foot in front of the other.” Cas clumsily stumbled out of the door, almost falling down the stairs leading up to the front door. Dean noticed him slipping, slammed the door shut on his finger and caught Cas with his other arm. He yelped out in pain, shuffling with his foot to get the door open again and pulled his finger out. Luckily the door wasn’t very heavy, so it didn’t actually break his finger, but it looked like it would bruise for a while.

Before Dean could even think about his friend, Cas was leaning against him with his entire body, draping over him like a drunk human octopus. He nuzzled his cheek into Dean’s shoulder. “You know, you smell really good.” He murmured. Dean felt a warm feeling coming from his mark, radiating through his skin as if it were water and he dropped a coin in it.

“You’re drunk, go to bed Cas.” Cas giggled lamely in response. Dean sighed and maneuvered Cas into his car. After a lot of tugging and struggle he had Cas in the driver’s seat, buckled up and safe. He walked around the hood and took his usual place behind the wheel. He revved up the engine and The Beatles began playing.

_I never needed anybody’s help in any way_

He pulled out of the driveway he had been allowed to park by Charlie. He only narrowly avoided hitting another car, and went right, before he realised he had no idea where his friend even lived.

“Cas?” He heard a murmur from his right.

“What is your address?” Dean looked over to see Cas staring out the window with a sad expression.

_Help me if you can, i’m feeling down_

“hey buddy, what’s up?” He tried to smile assuringly.

_And i do appreciate you being ‘round_

Cas mumbled something he could hardly make out. “What was that?” Dean pulled over, and shut the engine off to hear him better.

_Won’t you please, please help me_

“I thought it was a date.” Cas said, almost as if he was sober. “What was a date?” Dean leaned over without realising.

“The garden, the ice cream.” Cas sighed. And it hit Dean. It had been a date after all, hadn’t it?

“Cas, i-” Dean started, feeling guilty. He wanted it to be a date, but Cas hadn’t made another move, so Dean was blind and considered them friends.

“Just get me home please.” Cas slurred his words a bit, and kept on staring out the window. A silence fell, so thick you could have cut it with a sword. Dean fidgeted with his hands, feeling a deep cold settle into his gut and his mark go icy as well.

_Please please help me_

Cas handed him a small paper with an address on it. Dean started up the engine once more, and kept driving.

_You say goodbye, and i say hello_

-Cas-

He felt woozy, absolutely done for, but who cares? He was next to Dean, Dean who didn’t want him, love him or need him. The sadness felt as if it crushed his body.

_I don’t know why, you say goodbye, i say hello_

The mark on his wrist felt like it was involuntarily pulled together by some invisible muscle. His chest caved in when they reached his house.

_Oh oh, you say goodbye, i say hello_

As soon as they stopped, he unbuckled impatiently and opened the door. But before he could step out, Dean was there at his side.

“Whoa, careful buddy, don’t wanna end up hurting yourself.” He offered his arm, but Cas slapped it away. “I don’t need your help!” He shouted. “You don’t know me! You think you’re everything but you can’t see what’s in front of you! And then-” He sighed, and balanced himself with his hand on the hood of the car. “Then you go ahead and hurt...people. Hurt me.” “Cas, you know i care about you.” Dean leaned down to catch Cas’s downcast eyes. “You have a fucking awful way of not showing me then.” Cas bit back.

_I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello, hello, hello_

Dean pulled back, hesitant. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. “Just leave me alone Dean!” Cas shouted, as he stumbled to his front door. It opened, and Dean could make out a dark figure in the hallway, welcoming Cas home. He sighed, and climbed back behind the wheel. He turned off the music, and hit the steering wheel with his flat palms. After a few minutes he calmed down, and drove off. Wondering why the car in front of the house looked familiar, who opened the door for Cas and if they could even be friends, if he could be friends with the man he loved.

**Fanart by me**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop I hope y'all like it, I made some -terrible- fanart to go with it.


	11. There's only so much I can do. But I will try for you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas both contemplate what Cas said.

-Cas-  
When he woke up, his head was killing him. The house was quiet, save for a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen across the hallway followed by footsteps.   
Gabriel must be home, he thought. He dragged himself out of the warm bed, and got the knitted blanket from his foot end to keep him warm. Shuffling across the wooden floor, he made it to the kitchen, where Gabriel was making fried eggs, with bacon for himself, while humming a tune with his earpods in. When he noticed his brother standing in the doorway, he smiled and nothing but yelled: “Good morning Cas!”   
Cas grumbled and got a glass from the cabinet, careful to not let his warm blanket slip, he filled it with water and went looking for a painkiller in their drawers. Gabriel handed him a slip before he went to put the eggs on their plates.   
“So how was your night?” He asked, with a tone that made Cas’s stomach curl.   
“I don’t know.” He replied curtly. “Guess I must have blacked out.” He added when Gabriel raised one eyebrow and smirked.   
“So you don’t remember yelling at your crush in front of the house while he looked like someone shot his puppy?” He smirked into his coffee.   
“I DID WHAT?” Cas turned red, feeling his face warm up all the way to his ears.   
“Yeah man, Dean looked really sad.”   
“What did i say?” Panic was shining through his voice, and his hands gripped the light green table cloth tightly.   
“Oh just that he should leave you alone, and that he hurt you, and that he can’t fucking show that he cares about someone.”  
Cas choked on air. After a short coughing fit he asked, with a raspy voice.   
“You’re kidding.”   
“Nope.” Gabriel popped the P, and took another sip of his coffee, leaning back in the white chair, balancing it’s back on the wooden legs.   
Cas felt his blood run cold. This was bad, very very bad.   
Cas seemed to shrink into his chair, and cave in on himself. He put down his cup, and shakily stood up, feeling like the ground was trembling. He wasn’t hungry. He hadn’t even noticed he sat down, shook by the news that he had done something this bad while he blacked out drinking.   
He heard a loud groan, and hid his face in his hands, feeling his cheeks warm up with panic, and a headache coming on. When he traced the source of the sound, he realised it was him.   
He stumbled back, bumping against the kitchen counter and gripping it with one hand for stability, while covering his eyes and forehead with his other hand.   
“You good?” Gabriel’s chair scraped the floor. Cas felt a hand on his shoulder.   
“No.” He sighed, and drew his hand back when he felt a slight wetness on his palm. His eyes were damp, and the-not-really-tears clung to his eyelashes.   
“I told him to leave me alone. Alone, Gabe!” His brother gave him two sympathetic claps on the back.   
He felt a headache shoot from his soulmark straight to his head, and he groaned again.   
He heard a plate sliding across the counter to him, and when he looked up, he found Gabriel giving a foolish, almost-but-not-quite sympathetic smile.   
“Eat, you’ll feel better.”   
Cas nodded wordlessly, and swallowed down a brick of sadness in this throat. 

-Dean-   
Well, fuck.   
So Cas hated him now, great, fucking great.   
He sighed, and collapsed onto his bed.   
The silence that fell when his wooden bed stopped squeaking was deafening.   
His heart pounded heavy in his chest, and there was a brick in his stomach, dragging him into the darkness of his bed. He flopped over, and off, the bed.   
Cas had every right to hate him. That much he decided during the drive home. He barely remembered how he got home, but he knew he contemplated cas on his way home, so what else matters?   
He felt himself slipping in and out of the same thoughts. The time became soup, until the door was slammed shut.   
“DeaN!” Sam’s swelling voice sounded from the hallway. A knock on his door followed soon after.   
“I had to take an Uber home…. what happened?” His tone became soft when he saw Dean on his floor beside his bed, staring at the ceiling like it needed to give him the answer to life and fast or he might just combust.   
“Cas hates me.” Sam was too drunk to deal with his problems right now, but Dean hardly cared.   
“He said he never wants to see me again.” His bed creaked, and Sam had positioned himself on the foot end of Dean’s bed, sitting cross legged and dangling his face above Dean’s.   
“I’m sure he isn’t mad. You probably misheard.” Sam couldn’t keep his face in position, and he swayed from side to side. He didn’t seem phased by this, and kept looking at his older brother with the most serious expression a drunk moose could possibly muster.   
“So what do i do now?” He asked, not bothering to correct his brother that he had heard Cas perfectly fine -thank you very much-.   
“You tell him.” It sounded like Sam was saying; ‘the sky is blue’, but it didn’t make any sense to Dean.   
“Tell him what?” Sam frowned.  
“That you love him of course!”   
“Who said i loved him?!!” Dean sat straight up in surprise, and hit his head hard on Sam’s, who doubled over, clutching his forehead, and toppled off the bed, landing on top of a cursing Dean, knocking the air out of him.   
“Son of a bitch!” The two brothers flopped away from each other, Sam landing against a setup for Dean’s TV, and Dean Half under his own bed, effectively coating his pant leg in dust.   
“Get out of my room! Dude!” Sam chuckled, and like a newborn giraffe, stumbled out of Dean’s room.   
Dean peeled himself off his floor, and took off his pants, and jacket, leaving only his shirt and underwear on. He stepped in bed, not bothering to brush his teeth, and tried to sleep.   
Maybe Sam is right, was his last thought before he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took wayyyyy too long but here y'all go, please comment and make my day!


	12. Please, please be mine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean sit down and finally have that talk.

Mondays were still mondays, even if Cas’ life had been ruined in just one weekend. If only he hadn’t met Dean, if he hadn’t gone on the date, meeting….thing with him. 

Whatever that was. 

But he took comfort in the fact that some things stayed the same, no matter what. The coffee still smelled the same when he made it, his apron still had the same stains on it, and the door still ringed when someone came in. 

But the door ringed a little less pleasantly when the person walking in was the exact person Cas was trying not to think about. 

It was sex on bowlegs himself, Dean. 

Oh fucking great. His brother had been talking his ears to stomps about how he should confess and now he walked in his store, acting like nothing happened and scanning the sign with options above the counter. 

It was an act, Cas knew that much. Dean of course already knew what he wanted, the same thing as always. He balled his fist around the open zipper of his jacket, and his knuckles turned white. 

Cas tried to avoid looking in his reaction any more, and started making Dean’s usual order. 

Coffee with one sugar and a piece of cherry pie. 

Dean didn’t say anything, but Cas felt his eyes on him as he made the “order” and took it to the register. 

Dean seemed to swallow, and draw his lips in tighter, before nodding silently and paying for the order. 

Cas continued his work as he normally would, and could see Dean stealing glances his way -not because he was looking, thank you very much- and tried to avoid his eyes. 

After a while he heard a silent cough coming from Dean. It wasn’t clear at first because there were other people also typing and enjoying their coffee. 

But when Cas turned to Dean he motioned for Cas to sit down. He looked around and did so. 

“Cas-”

Dean, i-” 

After that, they stayed silent for a few seconds. Cas motioned with his left hand towards Dean, indicating that he should start speaking. 

“Cas, i want to talk about what you said…” Cas felt his shoulders droop, and sighed. 

“ **I’m sorry.”** they both said at the same time. 

Cas tilted his head in confusion, and Dean looked at him like he saw water burn. 

“What are you sorry for?” Cas spoke softly, with a hint of confusion in his voice. 

“I should have...acted better….It was a date but...i was scared.” Dean looked at his fidgeting hands. 

“I am also sorry, I yelled at you, and i did not mean it.” Cas tried to sound assuredly, as Dean seemed almost withdrawn and shy. Perhaps the best word would be embarrassed. 

it seemed to work, as Dean’s shoulders became looser, and he blew out a breath Cas didn't know he was holding. 

“Okay.” Dean opened his mouth to seemingly say more, but no words came out and he closed it again. Cas sat up straight, ready for whatever may come, and tried to look Dean in the eye. 

“Dean, will you go out with me?” A smile broke through, and Dean’s face lit up. 

“Yes. I will.” He mirrored Cas’s position, then continued speaking. “Can i pick you up here when your shift is over?” Cas thought about it, he had another set of clothes in the back, he always did after the incident with spilled coffee. And he slowly nodded. 

“I’d like that, I am done at 6.” You’d think someone had told Dean he was getting a puppy, and his face once again beamed. 

“See you then.” He smiled and gave an awkward wave while stumbling on his way out. 

Cas smiled to himself and picked the empty plate and cup up. 

-Dean- 

He felt like he could float through the air, as if someone put helium in his head and he can now fly. He had another chance! 

his own shift ended at 5, which means he had 45 minutes to drive home, get changed and go to the coffeeshop. 

He also had to remember to call the restaurant of his friend and ask if he could get a last minute seat. Kevin made great steaks, and Cas would probably like the deserts, since he seemed to have a bit of a sweet tooth according to Dean. 

He revved his engine, and the Impala started driving down the road in a familiar style. 

He selected the number while waiting on a red light, and by the time he got to work, he had a plan worked out. This was going to be a good date, a proper one. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't drive and use your phone at the same time. It's dangerous.


	13. Tell me,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas both get a bit of support from their boss, and get ready for their date. Dean has never been so nervous.

-Dean-

Butterflies were in his stomach as he waited. Bobby had seen how wound up and nervous he had been the whole day, and sent him home early with a smile and a pat on the back. 

So now Dean was waiting. Waiting for Cas to be done with his shift. His legs bounced so fast it felt like an earthquake in his car. The Impala was too quiet, too silent for Dean’s racing thoughts. 

A shiver ran up his spine. It wasn’t cold but it felt like pure energy, like ten five-hour shots and a cup of espresso. 

A quiet, dry rustling drew his attention. When he looked down he saw it came from him wringing his hands together and his fingers moving around like snakes. 

A quick glance at the time, 17.53. He’d decided on his way here that he wanted to be on time, but not too early, because that would be creepy. So five minutes beforehand was his time frame. He opened his phone again to check the time. 17.54. His head thumped back on his seat, and he blew out a long breath, which relieved the tight nervous coil in his stomach, but only for a few seconds. He closed his eyes, trying to relax for his date. 

He felt weird about being so nervous. He’d been on a date before with Cas. 

Except not, right? He hadn’t admitted to himself that it was a date, but this time was different. This time it explicitly  _ was _ a date. Of course, he’d been on dates before. With Lisa, with Ben, but it was not the same.  _ They _ were not  Cas. Cas who Dean fell so hard and unexpectedly for that he was surprised he could still walk straight. His brother knew, he knew and probably Cas knew that he was lost, that there was no back paddling from his crush on the guy. He drew in another deep breath, and slowly blew it out again. He clenched his fist in the hem of his shirt, something he picked up when his dad became more abusive. 

He felt a deep fear settling in his chest. Maybe he was not good enough. He was broken, a shattered person from his dad’s abuse, weighed down by the guilt about his mother dying and his responsibilities for his brother increasing when his dad began to drink more and use his belt more. Cas wasn't broken like that, wasn’t hurt like that. And he wouldn’t like Dean because of it. Dean had been in relationships before, but no one wanted to deal with his trauma, with his pain. So they all left. Found someone better and moved on. They used him like a toy and Dean was always left alone. He could never make enough time for them, not enough effort into the love to keep it alive, too much baggage and too much anger. Cas would probably do the same, throw him out and never even talk to him again. 

He felt something burning behind his eyes. It wasn’t fair. He’d given everything to make sure his brother was safe, to support him and himself. And to make him happy. And he seemed happy. His school was great, and Dean was super proud of him, his grades were good and his job was pretentious. 

He’d even started talking about his relationship. It seemed he’d met someone at school and they hit it off. Sam has promised to introduce him to his boyfriend soon, but no plans were made. Sam had so much ahead of him, a bright future. And what did Dean have? An old car, and a job and heartbreak. He felt something wet on his cheek. 

A tear. He was crying right before his date. Fucking...fuck...A small sob escaped him. 

He drew in a shaky breath, and his chest drew tight. 

He sat up straight and unlocked his phone again. 17.56. A weak smile formed, and a glimmer of hope seemed to spark. He had to get himself together. He had a date, after all. 

-Cas- 

Dean’s car had been parked outside for a long time now. The shop was almost empty and the light outside was fading. Evening was setting in, and Cas kept stealing glances. Anita was also out front, something she said she enjoyed. Interacting with the customers, making coffee herself and serving her pies. 

But Cas couldn’t make pie, so she was rarely out front and usually in the back making pastries or cakes. But she was standing next to him. looking at the same car as Cas was. 

“You want to leave a few minutes early?” Cas was surprised to hear her next to him. He hadn’t noticed she’d come so close. 

“But we still have to close up.” She nodded in acknowledgement. 

“I can take care of it. You go to him.” Cas felt a heat in his cheeks, and a flutter in his chest. before he himself even realised what was happening, he drew her in for a hug, and ran to the back, tossing his apron on the chair, and rushing to his bag with his clothes. 

He took the whole bag into the bathroom, and began stripping his black shirt, and shed his pants. There was dough on them, flour and ground coffee. He quickly folded them, and drew the dark blue blouse over his shoulders, and started buttoning at the bottom, fixing his collar and feeling almost giddy. His dark pants coloured nicely with his blouse, and his head felt light as he stepped out of the bathroom. He didn’t look very fancy, but it would do just fine. When he stepped out front with his jacket on, Anita gave him an appreciative glance. She had almost finished cleaning up in the time it took him to change, and came up to him to give him a peck on his cheek. 

“You have a good night. I can get my husband to wash your clothes and I'll bring them back tomorrow, okay?” She beamed, almost proudly at him. She had to feel a little bit proud. She had known him for years, and always had been close to him. She wasn’t a lot older than him, but had seen him grow from an eleven year old kid with acne and a bag too big for his body, to a graduate from college with a degree and license to teach. 

He, in his turn, had seen her grow from an awkward barely-an-adult with a dream of owning her own business and a love for baking, to a married woman with a succesful café, and two employees. And in that moment, Cas felt like he got a glance of how she felt. 

“Make sure he treats you right.” She advised him, and stepped aside to let him through. 

When the door opened, the fresh air of the evening hit him, and he drew in a deep breath to calm his nerves. The door of the car opened, and Dean stepped out. He wore a light grey blazer, and a white t-shirt under it. Dark grey pants completed the outfit, and Cas felt underdressed. But that was quickly gone, as Dean swallowed. 

“You look nice.” He gave a small smile and looked Cas in the eyes. Cas smiled back at him. 

“So do you.” Dean stepped around the car and opened the passenger door for him. When Cas stepped past him, and when he did he noticed that Dean’s eyes were a little bit red. 

Cas felt a dull sting in his chest, but sat down and decided to act like he’d seen nothing. 

He promised himself that this was going to be a good date. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought! Please don't be shy, comments make my day!


	14. Are you lonesome tonight?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is how their date went, with an unexpected (expected) twist at the end.

-Cas-  
It was a mercifully short car ride to the restaurant Dean had picked. They did not talk during it, Cas letting Dean drive and trusting in him. The silence felt heavy, almost awkward. Cas thought that Dean knew that he knew that Dean cried. Which is not something you want to start with and bring up during a date, first or second.   
When they parked, Cas took a few seconds to take in the view. It was a remarkably fancy restaurant, but not too fancy. They had a porch out front, lit by fantasy-like lanterns in the corners and suspended above the guests. It was not dark enough for them to have their full effect, but Cas thought they would look stunning when the dark settled in more. There were hanging plants which looked like Ivy on the sides near the lanterns and on the back of the benches that sat on the edge. The porch could be reached by what looked like glass sliding doors, and could be seen from the inside through the light matte ceiling to floor windows. As far as Cas could see, there were a variety of tables inside. all in the same fantasy-cottagecore style, but some with different seats and tables. There was a vague contour of what Cas thought looked like a fireplace, and perhaps a bar.   
Dean had gotten out of the car while Cas was distracted, and opened the door for him.   
Cas smiled shyly, and got out of the car, taking the door from Dean and closing it behind him.   
Walking over the gravel parking lot, Dean broke the silence.   
“it’s something, isn’t it?” He gestured to the restaurant. Cas simply nodded. It was better than he could have hoped. It was a small patch of green, combined with style and a more old-time feel in the middle of the town. The small fairy lights that had all the colours Cas had ever seen added to the charm, and made it feel like it did not come from this world.   
“It’s from a friend of mine, Kevin.” Dean smiled. “I helped set the porch up and the pit.”  
Cas turned his head to look at Dean.   
“The pit?”   
“Yes, you’ll see.” Dean said with a mysterious smirk. intrigue bubbled in Cas and he started walking closer to Dean.   
The dark wooden doors opened under a surprisingly small push, and Dean walked past the coats hanging, and walked straight to someone behind a vintage looking counter, typing on a computer.   
“I have a reservation for two, under Dean Winchester?” The girl looked up briefly and typed something in her computer with her manicured nails. Cas followed Dean and stood beside him.   
The girl looked up at Dean, and then at Cas through the edge of large, round glasses.   
She typed something else in, and then abruptly got up from behind her seat.   
“One second please.” She said. Obviously not expecting a response, she turned around sharply and walked toward what Cas guessed was the kitchen.   
After a minute or so, the girl came back with a shorter man with dark hair and hooded eyelids. Dean obviously knew him, and walked past Cas to shake his hand.   
“Thanks, I know it was a short notice.” Dean said while firmly shaking the other man’s hand. Cas guessed this was Kevin. And sure enough, the man turned to Cas next, and extended his hand.   
“Kevin, nice to meet you. I’m an old friend of Dean and his brother.”   
Cas shook the hand shortly, and extended a polite smile.   
“Castiel, nice to meet you.” The man nodded with a genuine smile and turned around and simply said:   
“Follow me please, Castiel.” Almost as if Dean was afraid he’d scared Cas away by introducing his friend, he briefly touched his shoulder and led him to their table.   
Inside, the restaurant was almost as beautiful as outside. It had less fairy lights, but there was an indoor waterfall and beside that, a small hole in the wall, with no door with the words “kid’s palace” in fun, colourful but elegant letters in a half circle above it. And then they arrived at where they would be dining. Their table, but to call it a table would be a far stretch. It was a wooden pit built into the ground. There was room for about four people, and on the side there was a small set of stairs leading into the conversation pit. A relatively low table was placed in the middle, and it was right in front of the fireplace (Cas had been right). The seating was covered in deep red cushions, which were twice as thick as the cushions placed at the back. Even the floor, which the table was built into, was covered in cushions. There were the same plants as outside around the edges, and fairy lights, giving the occupants of the pit relative privacy. Cas’s jaw was nothing short of dropped to the floor. 

-Dean-   
Cas looked stunned, and was wide-eyed at the prospect of their dining occasion. Dean felt proud. This would certainly make up for the botched date in the park. He bent over and unlaced his shoes. Toeing them off, and walking down the wooden steps. He looked around after a second to see Cas follow his example. He took off his coat and laid it down on the seat next to the stairs. Cas once again followed suit. Once they were settled in, Kevin handed them menus, topping Dean’s handout off with a sly smirk and a wink.   
Dean gave him what he hoped was a stern deathglare, and took the menu. He started scanning the first courses, looking for something new he hadn’t tried. Kevin wanted something really special for his restaurant, and also something affordable and with quality, so Dean knew that whatever he ordered he would get the best they could make. It had taken Kevin years of effort and gathering investors, saving up and planning to be able to build it. Dean had helped, and he was proud of Kevin and satisfied with the result.   
Finally he decided on something to eat, something with chicken, and it was light spicy according to the chart. He looked up for a brief second to see Cas also scanning his options, seemingly still deciding on the first course. He looked adorable in the soft glow of the fairy lights, almost ethereal.   
Dean went back to his menu. After a few minutes he decided on something he had had several times before, the steak with baked tomatoes. Dean was thankful it was still on the menu. Kevin thought it was important to innovate and have different adjustments to his menus every couple of months. He rehearsed his order in his head, and closed the menu. Cas was still looking at his own, unintentionally hiding half his face under the chart.   
After Dean studied his face for a while, Cas closed his menu and also put it aside. Dean quickly looked away, not wanting to seem like a creep. He pretended to be interested in the plant behind him instead, and when he looked back at Cas he had tucked his legs under him, sitting in a kneeling, almost in a cross legged position. Cas suddenly seemed much smaller somehow. Maybe it was the pit designed for four people, maybe it was the loose blouse he was wearing, but he seemed almost shy and young, like a teenager on his first date. Dean smiled lightly at the thought.   
“So, how was your day?” He asked.   
~~lets do the time skiip agaiiinnnn~~  
-Cas-   
Dean seemed to honestly enjoy their conversation. He talked about his brother, and when he did he beamed with pride. He talked about his job as a mechanic, trying to support himself and partially his brother. He told Cas about his ambitions, he wanted to become an engineer and go to college, something he couldn’t do at the time because of his family.   
In turn, Cas told him about his education, how he was born among many siblings, that his mother was gone shortly after, that he grew up unable to support himself and relying on his father until his brother helped him escape at home and live with him, when he got a job at the coffee shop to support himself and his education, and that he stayed there while sometimes attending classes on interesting topics. How he’d come to know Anita, and what his brother was like.   
The first two courses were spent like that, finding common ground and talking about growing up. The topics shifter by dessert, from personal life to politics and mostly; movies.   
Dean had confessed that he grew up loving Scooby Doo, because it was one of the very few safe things while growing up with his father.   
“What do you mean?” Cas raised one eyebrow, and Dean started looking around uncomfortably.   
“He was not a good father, especially after my mom died.” Dean put his fork down and started rubbing the tips of his fingers together in a nervous fidget.   
“He hit me, and drank a lot.” Another sigh. Cas silently put his fork down also, and shifted to sit a little bit closer to Dean.  
“I always was the one blamed for anything that went wrong, I didn't want him to hit Sam.”   
Dean let his shoulders droop, and seemed to cave in on himself subconsciously. He clenched his jaw, and it became impossibly sharper.   
“My dad was also horrible.” Cas wanted to make him feel less alone, so he started talking about his own father.   
“He neglected us, set us up against each other.” He looked to his lap, folding his hands in them.   
“It became worse when he sent my oldest brother away, when he wouldn’t obey him blindly anymore.” Cas sighed again, the door was open now, no use in trying to close it again.   
“I was one of the last ones to leave, and we all lost touch. The only one I see anymore is my brother.” Cas remembered everything, how his father had sent Luci out, with only a bag of clothes and some of his stuff. How Luci had come back each night to steal his own belongings from his old room he had shared with Michael. Until he was caught by their father he had come every night, assuring them all he had found a place to stay, a job, and sometimes bringing candy to help them keep silent.   
“It took us years too, before we could leave.” Dean broke the silence.   
“We had to save up, find a place far enough away, but close enough to keep our jobs and go to school for Sam.” Dean smiled bitterly.   
“We had to save up, and even then Sam couldn’t keep his job. It was too close to dad.” Dean looked sad, like he blamed himself for Sam having to leave his job.   
“That was a few years ago, he has an online job now programming, but i still feel horrible about having to tell him to leave.” Dean sighed deeply, and kept talking like he forgot where he was.   
“I wanted to become a fireman when I was young, I felt like I could bring my mother back like that.” Dean smiled, but there was no happy emotion in it. It was grim, lonely, and at that moment Cas realised something. Dean had tremendous childhood trauma, just like him. He felt alone, guilty and broken just like him. It shot through him in a bolt of relief, hope but also pain and regret. When he looked at Dean again, there was a silent tear rolling down his cheek, catching the light and glinstering before dropping onto his shoulder.   
“Sorry.” Dean simply said, wiping away the leftover fluid with his sleeve.   
“It’s stupid to cry about it, and now you’ll probably now want to talk to me again. Everyone does. I shouldn’t give you all this baggage to deal with, and now you don’t wanna date me anymore, and that is horrible because even though i messed it up i really like you.” Dean’s breath started becoming quicker and shorter, borderline hyper. Cas carefully put his hand on top of Dean’s, and motioned for a passing waiter to come closer.   
“The bill please.” He simply said, before turning his attention towards Dean again.   
“Dean, you are not broken. I still want to date you, and I am honored that you shared this with me.” He said, trying to speak as softly as possible. Dean sobbed again, so soft Cas almost missed it.   
The waiter returned remarkably quickly, and Cas quickly and quietly paid for their meal. He then put a hand on the small of Dean’s back, and led him out of the pit. They put their shoes back on, and Cas handed Dean his coat, gently guiding him outside, and trying not to draw attention to them. Before he knew it, they were back in the car, and Dean had stopped breathing so quickly. After a minute of silence, Dean spoke.   
“Sorry, I overreacted.” He looked at his hands on the wheel, then at Cas. He smiled weakly and huffed some air out in what sounded like it was supposed to be funny.   
“It’s okay, honestly.” Cas simply said. “I know how hard it can be, i don’t blame you.” He smiled a most genuine smile possible at Dean to assure him.   
“And you were wrong. I still want to date you, and i am really glad you like me, because i like you too.” Dean’s jaw went slack, finally back to its previous position.   
“Can i kiss you?” Dean asked, carefully putting his hands next to him. Cas felt a flutter in his stomach, and nodded.   
It was a little awkward, the position was not great, but it felt right. Just perfect. Cas understood in that moment that Dean and he fit together like puzzle pieces. He felt Dean’s hand hovering behind his soulmark, and placed his own hands on Dean’s. After a while they broke the kiss. It wasn’t rough, yet not so sappy.   
“I love you.” Cas said, before he could help it.   
“I love you too.” Dean responded, and the men immediately broke apart, not because they wanted to but because both their soulmarks burned. They shifted apart, Dean unbuttoning his shirt to look at his, and Cas untucking his blouse. They were both activated.   
Cas released a soundless breath, and Dean a sound Cas could not place. They locked eyes, both wide in surprise.   
A silence fell again, not uncomfortable, but light and understanding. After a few minutes Cas broke it.   
“Do you want to spend the night?” he wanted to be close to Dean, make sure he would be okay. But then, it might be interpreted wrong.   
“We don’t have to do anything, i don’t really want to honestly, but would you like to? I just wanna...you know.” He continued.   
“I would love to spend the night with you.” Dean replied, with a careful smile. Cas returned a brighter one.   
“Well, you know the address.” And Dean revved up the engine. 

-Dean-   
It hadn’t taken long for them to arrive at Cas’s place, and Dean walked in behind him, now understanding the figure he had seen in the door was his brother, and took off his shoes and jacket once again that night when he entered. Cas put his shoes and jacket away as well, and took Dean by the hand. Cas led him down a dark corridor, and Dean could feel something brushing his thigh. He nearly bumped into the doorframe, but when he entered the room, Cas let go of his hand, then the light went on.   
It wasn’t big, and the light wasn’t bright, but Dean could see enough, he could see Cas. He stood there sheepishly, not knowing where to leave his hands, his clothes or what to do next. Cas took a step towards him and took off Dean’s shirt, then kissed him softly. Dean took the hint and unbuttoned Cas’s blouse even more, until he let it fall to the ground. He was wearing a white top underneath, but Dean could see his body, and the only thing he wanted to do is hug it. But he did not do so yet, instead he peeled off his socks, and followed the example Cas had set by taking off his pants. He had barely gotten them off before he was dragged onto the bed. It was barely big enough for two people, but Cas took him in his arms and Dean felt a warmth spread through him. He wrapped his free arm around Cas, and wriggled his other arm to try and relieve the pressure on it to prevent it falling asleep. Once they settled in together, Dean breathed in deep through his nose, and it felt so right. He smelled Cas’s soap, and a musk, and something coffee-like that must have somehow gotten into his hair. Dean closed his eyes, and he had never slept that quickly or that wonderful ever before in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter in less than a week??? how??? also I think this is the longest one I have written for this story. Please feel free to comment and make my day!


	15. (Spiderman pointing at himself meme)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After sleeping over, Dean learns something about his boyfriend's brother and sees someone he never thought he'd see there.

-Sam-   
Dean was out on a date, a proper one, the first one in a while that was not a hookup. He still hadn’t told Sam who he was dating, but he thanked the guy in his head while locking the door behind him. He had a bag full of necessities and a bus pass, a bubbly feeling in his stomach formed as he walked out on the street. It was not a very long trip to his boyfriend’s house, by car it was about ten minutes, but Dean had taken his car to the date, so Sam had to take public transport. It would take him longer, but he didn’t mind.   
Not knowing when or even if Dean would be coming back, he had left a note, as considerate as he was. He could drive to school with Gabe, and go home by bus if Dean was mad. Dean might not approve of his baby brother sleeping over with his boyfriend so soon, or in dad’s words; “selling out like a whore by the bus stop”. But it was hardly that, what Sam knew but Dean didn’t is that they were soulmates, his boyfriend and him are supposed to be, so Dean cannot get his hypocritical ass involved in Sam’s love life.   
After a torturously long bus ride, he finally knocked on Gabe’s door, which swung open immediately. Before he knew it, Sam had an armful of happy Gabriel clutching him and kissing him senseless.   
Now, Sam was generally a patient man, taking time to make assignments good, better and best before turning them in. But Gabriel was testing the limits of that patience like no one else. He was warm, smelled fresh and good, like he’d just showered, but his hair was dry and fluffy. In other words, he was irresistible. Sam carried him inside and dropped his bag to the floor. Gabriel pushed him against the wall and stood on the tip of his toes to plant a kiss on his chin.   
“Finally.” He breathed, and Sam only grinned as the feeling in his stomach increased, and his soulmark became hotter. Gabriel picked up Sam’s bag, and dragged it, and Sam to his room beside the hallway, dumping it beside the door and hugging Sam again. Sam felt his chest and face getting hot, before feeling a certain hunger overtake him. He fingered the hem of Gabe’s shirt and took it off in one fluid motion, and then taking care of his own shirt. They both looked nervously at each other for a few seconds, and then Gabriel spoke softly; “my god, you’re amazing”. Sam laughed awkwardly, and took off his pants, Gabriel following suit. Then, they were not speaking for a long time, until they both breathlessly and sweatily laid on the bed, intertwining their hands and pressing their foreheads together. Sam lifted the sheets, and covered a sleepy Gabriel and himself with it. The world felt soft, blissful, and Gabriel breathed slowly and deeply next to him. Feeling the rise and fall of his chest, and his heartbeat against his, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.   
The next morning, Sam woke up to an empty bed. 

-Dean-   
There was a pleasant smell coming from the kitchen when Dean woke up. He felt warm and safe, a rare feeling. He wasn’t holding Cas however, Cas was holding him. He’d always thought that he’d hate getting spooned, let alone by a guy. Even though he was bi, he never felt much for the idea. But it’s not like what he expected. It did not feel weird, but like he was being protected. The blanket that reached up until Cas’ arms added to the idea, making Dean feel like he was wrapped in angel wings.   
It was so perfect he could have fallen right back asleep right then and there. His stomach disagreed with him though, and gave a loud grumble in protest. His breath stilled as he felt movement behind him. Cas’ arm retreated and a dip in the mattress told Dean Cas had moved to laying on his back.   
“Goodmorning Cas.”   
“Goodmorning Dean.”  
A silence fell, not per se an uncomfortable one, but one with the shared experience of waking up together and being content. Seeing each other first thing in the morning.   
It hit Dean that moment that he wouldn’t mind seeing Cas’ face every morning.   
“What smells so nice?” Cas huffed.   
“Probably my brother. He mentioned he was having someone over tonight and he is probably trying to impress them by making breakfast.” Dean grinned.   
“Well, if it was us, i’d do the same, except i have no idea where anything is.” Cas smiled, then groaned and covered his face with his free hand, seeing as his other one was still trapped under Dean.   
“What?” Dean sat up, leaning on one elbow to give Cas room to pull his arm away.   
“He’s not going to shut up about soulmates, the person he is having over is his. And of course the sexual innuendos.” Cas sighed loudly. Dean grinned at his boyfriend.   
“Hey, it’s going to be okay, i’ll be here.” Cas sighed and smiled.   
“Allright, just...five more minutes in bed?” Dean smiled at his boyfriend and wrapped an arm around him.   
Dean basked in the cozyness during this time, and the world seemed to melt away. Before too long, the sounds from the kitchen had died down, and Dean sneaked an eye past Cas to check the clock.   
“Cas, buddy we gotta get outta bed, gotta have breakfast.”   
“Mrrrrhhh Dean...I wanna stay in bed.” A low hum vibrated through Dean’s chest.   
“Allright stay in bed then, but I'm getting up.” The air was cold on his chest when he got out of bed, but the sheets moved and groaned until Castiel crawled out of them. Dean grabbed the nearest shirt, and pulled it over his sleepy boyfriend.   
After they both changed into something warmer and more presentable, Cas dragged Dean out to the living room.   
They stepped out, hand in hand which probably wasn’t the best idea considering what they found. Sam was on the couch. Sitting, on the couch, of his soulmate's house.   
His heart stopped in his chest, and it felt like his blood froze.   
“Sammy?” Sam’s head whipped around faster than lightning.   
“Dean?” Sam stood up, and now they were both standing in a random living room staring at each other.   
“What are you doing here?” Sam asked motioning to Dean and Cas.   
“I- i stayed the night here? What are you doing here?” Dean asks his brother.   
“Uh sleeping over at my boyfriend’s place?”   
In the middle of all this, Dean hadn’t noticed another man stepping into the room.   
“Uhm, hello? That boyfriend would be me?” Gabriel cuts in. Dean turned around to see Gabe in an apron holding a pan.   
“You’re Sam’s boyfriend?” Cas asked his brother.   
“Then...you must’ve been the person he came in to buy food for, a while back?”   
“You remembered that?” Sam seemed as confused as Dean was feeling.   
“But then wait, why did you sleep here Dean?” Dean rubbed his fingers together nervously.   
“Uh, Cas is kinda...my soulmate?” He raised his hands defensively.   
“Listen, I can’t pick my soulmate and honestly, Cas is a great guy and uhm yeah. That.”   
“So, our soulmates are brothers?” Cas asked no one in particular.   
Gabriel nodded.   
“So...breakfast?” he said, raising the pan with scrambled egg, and carefully setting it down on the table.  
“So we can talk better and all that?” He wiped his hands on the apron, no doubt a nervous tick. 

The egg was pretty good, and the conversation was enlightening.   
They came to the agreement that both relationships progressed at their own speed, and that the brothers should leave the relationships be. They agreed that if they wanted to do the deed, they needed to make sure they were home alone. That part was the most awkward to talk about, but they managed.   
Dean drove Sam and himself home, and there was almost no tension in the car. They were both happy, feeling a weight off their shoulders. Usually, they wouldn’t talk about this sort of thing, but their soulmates were luckily much better at communication than they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorrryyyyy it took so long! I promise I am not quitting, we are moving along to the ending now so don't worry, we are getting there, this just needed to be clarified mostly. my brain is half dead, but please don't be afraid to comment!


	16. That went well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel wants to have the boys meet Chuck. It goes about as good as you'd expect. Little heads up: in included a slur because Chuck and John are both bad parents and homophobic as far as I'm concerned.

It was going great. Dean had always found it weird that people meet their partner’s parents, but Cas had insisted that Dean meet the family other than his brother. And of course Sam and Gabriel invited themselves along. The two cars pulled up to the driveway of a house that seemed vaguely familiar to Dean. The half moon above the door was recognisable, and something in Dean told him he’d been there before. 

“Dean, are you alright?” 

Cas spoke softly, but Dean could see the worry. He was worried too. Worried Cas’ dad would hate him, worried he’d call John, and then John would come find Sam and him and- oh god. He took a deep breath, it was all paranoia after all, the man probably didn’t even know John, and the house seeming familiar was probably his mind playing tricks. He took a deep breath, and got out of the car. 

The gravel under his feet crushed with every step, and it took them a fairly long time to reach the front door, which was painted a dark red, and was arched over by a piece of the house that went up and formed into a balcony, which was supported by two white Roman style pillars. The half moon above the door that Dean had seen seemed to be glass depicting a Biblical event, but Dean never really got around to reading the Bible. 

Gabriel took the knocker in the middle of the door, and knocked three times. After a short silence filled with anticipation, the door swung open. The man who opened the door seemed surprised to see them, and he seemed familiar to Dean. Especially when he was the first to break the silence. 

“Dave?” 

“Who the hell is Dave?” Dean asked. He wanted to just say: ‘What the fuck, don’t i know you from somewhere?’ Or maybe: ‘Excuse me sir, have we met?’ First impressions matter after all. 

“You’re Dave, the mechanic from a while back, right?” The man replied, with an underlying aggressive tone. 

“His name is Dean.” Thank something Sam explained the misunderstanding before Dean got mad. The man now turned towards Sammy, with a scowling look on his face. 

“And you are?” The tone of the man was nothing if not patronizing, he was clearly not interested in them. 

“This is Sam, he is my soulmate, dad.” Gabriel sounded dark somehow, dark like he wasn’t going to take any of his father’s crap. 

The man finally stepped aside and let them in, but barely opening the door wide enough, forcing them all to awkwardly shuffle inside. They were all barely inside when the door slammed shut, almost hitting Dean. He felt the gush of cold air on his arm and his face.

“Chuck Novak.” The man held out an arm to Dean, which could be seen as friendly if he hadn’t raised his chin as well, clearly wanting to intimidate the much taller man. 

The man seemed smug, and Dean had rarely -if ever- wanted to punch a face that badly. 

He took the hand, for Cas’ sake. 

“Dean Winchester.”

His brother had finished hanging his coat, and swooped in to take their host’s hand as well. 

“Sam Winchester, it’s nice to meet you mr. Novak.” And he then flashed his most dazzling smile, one which could win over even the most ice cold of teachers. Chuck seemed unimpressed by the giant labradoodle puppy in front of him. 

“Are you in a fucking quadrouplet, Cas?” He instead said. 

“What?” Cas didn’t seem angry at the question, mostly caught off guard. 

“These two, they have the same last name, are you married?” He didn’t wait for an answer before continuing. 

“I will not have you corrupt my sons into your faggot foursome fantasies.” Mr. Novak had crossed his arms, obviously trying to be intimidating, but failing miserably, considering he had to look up to everyone but Gabriel. 

“He’s my brother…?” Sam seemed more confused and disgusted than Dean felt, and he couldn’t help but tag a noticeable question mark at the end of his sentence. Dean resisted the urge to sigh deeply, and instead hung up his jacket next to Cas’s ridiculous, but adorable looking trench coat. 

-Gabriel- 

Dad had already made up his mind before they arrived. It wasn’t unusual or unfamiliar to Gabriel. The Winchesters didn’t stand a chance from the moment they walked out of the cars. Gabriel had therefore taken the precaution of putting his car keys in his pocket, instead of leaving them in his jacket, like usual. If they had to leave, if Dad went too far they could all run, jackets and courtesy be damned. 

If it all went wrong he could always blame Cas. Cas is the one who wanted to go tell Dad. Why his approval was so important to him, Gabe would never understand, but since it is, he’d agreed to join them, and then take Sam as an excuse. 

Cas calmed the situation, and led them into what he knew to be the dining room. It was impressive how his little brother could de-escalate any situation, but a necessary skill in this fucking family.

The table was mostly set, except for a few missing glasses. They all sat down, but then Chuck asked Dean and Sam to go fetch the glasses. 

It was obviously a fucked up tactic, and the brothers shot each other a look before both leaving in the direction his father pointed. They were left alone. 

“Boys, i hope this is a joke.” Their father folded his hands and leaned over the table. Even though they were the same height, Gabriel felt the intimidation, like a predator establishing who is the cat and who the mouse. He wasn’t saying anything, but the very  _ air  _ around him said: ‘You’ve got no leg to stand on, you might be my sons but this is  _ my _ house. I could destroy you with a single blow.’ 

It would have been terrifying if Gabriel still believed in his pretend power. 

“No. They are our soulmates, and I, for one, love Sam with all my heart.” 

“Dad, I love Dean. Please try?” Cas was pleading, no- begging him. It made Gabriel’s heart crawl away from his chest in disgust. 

“I’m not fucking asking dad, if you don’t like our partners that’s your problem. They are our soulmates, take it or leave it.” He leaned back in his seat, drawing his lips thin and keeping his expression neutral. 

If looks could kill, he’d be writhing on the ground now. 

“I am very disappointed in you both, especially in you, Castiel.” He sighed deeply. 

“I thought your brother had simply corrupted you, but now I see you’re  _ both _ beyond saving.” he was trying to influence Cas, make him feel guilty for abandoning him. Gabriel wasn’t going to have that. 

“Dad, if all your kids left except for Michael, maybe the problem isn’t with us but with you.” 

A silence fell over the table, the kind that feels so thick that you could cut it with a knife, that you could taste on your tongue and that infected every empty crevice in your body. 

“I am writing you both out of my will. You’re welcome to stay for dinner but after that I never want to see either of you near me ever again. A  _ real _ Novak would have refused a bond with scum like that, unmannered and uncultured, with no career ahead.” Chuck had stood up during his rant, towering over his kids, and raising his voice more with every word. If Cas stood up right now, he would be taller than him, and he could walk out with no one to stop him from leaving. Gabriel hoped he would do that. 

“Sam has a bright future, he is smart and driven, he’s going to be an amazing lawyer and I will be there to support him every step of the way. I love him and I hope he’ll let me marry him, nothing you think of us or say about us is going to change that.” Gabriel felt hot, the anger rising in his chest and making his hands clammy. His father sat back down. 

“Castiel?” God, his father was that desperate? Pleading for a moral defense from Cas? 

Both men turned to him, and Cas refused to lock eyes with either. It took a while for him to speak. 

“If you really loved us, you would support us and our partners. You would try and accept us and our love. You don’t want to love your kids, you want to rule over them.” Castiel’s hand shook while he spoke, balling up in fists, despite his quiet tone. 

At that moment, the door opened, with Dean and Sam both carrying glasses, and Dean a caraf of water. They paused for a second. 

“Di- Did we miss something?” Sam was the first person to ask what was on everybody’s mind. Gabriel nodded, and Cas stood up from his place at the gigantic, light, wooden table. 

“We’re leaving.” He simply stated it, waiting for Dean to put down the glasses on the table before grabbing him by the arm and collecting their coats. Gabe followed, holding his boyfriend’s hand and only letting go of it to put on his coat. Their dad follwed them, but didn’t protest. He simply stood there, watching them leave. Gabriel was the last through the door, and slammed it shut as loud as he could on his way out. A small drizzle welcomed them outside, and they walked to their cars in silence. 

“That went well.” Cas said, turning and grinning towards Gabe. he looked at his baby brother and felt his chest swell up with pride, just like when they were kids and Cas had gotten a good grade, or learned how to tie his shoes. Just like when he graduated, or when he informed Dad he got a job and would be leaving. 

“Yeah.” Gabriel smiled back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all liked it! I want to publish the next chapter in a week or so.


End file.
